Table of Contents

000 How to Use this Book .....................................12

Which MPCs are compatible with this book? ..............................................................12
Hardware UI Vs Computer UI ......................................................................................12
Recreating the Tutorial Examples................................................................................12
Reading This Book On Mobile Devices .......................................................................12
Initial MPC Set Up .......................................................................................................12
Release Notes For This Edition ...................................................................................13

001 Understanding The MPC Workflow .................14

The MPC in a Nutshell.................................................................................................14
The Basic MPC Structure ............................................................................................14
Getting Started ............................................................................................................15
Your First Project – A Simple Drum Beat .....................................................................18
Setting up an MPC Sequence .....................................................................................19
Sequence ‘Tracks’ .......................................................................................................24
Understanding DRUM programs .................................................................................25
Standalone Vs Controller Mode...................................................................................27

002 Building a Simple Drum Kit ...........................28

DRUM programs & Pads .............................................................................................28
Loading & Assigning Sounds .......................................................................................30
PAD + MENU Shortcuts...............................................................................................33
Navigating The File Browser .......................................................................................34
Loading sounds into a project......................................................................................36
Loading & Assigning Sounds Via the Browser ............................................................38
Browser Filters.............................................................................................................44
Saving Your Project .....................................................................................................49
Project Filters...............................................................................................................53
Deleting Samples & Purging........................................................................................53
Auto Save ....................................................................................................................56
Saving Individual Programs .........................................................................................58
Default Project Settings & Project Templates ..............................................................60
New Project Options ....................................................................................................63

003 Recording Your First Beat ..............................67

Real Time Recording Configuration.............................................................................67
Metronome Settings ....................................................................................................67
Recording Your First Take ...........................................................................................69

004 First Look: Grid Edit Mode .............................73

Understanding the Sequencer Grid .............................................................................75
Using the Q-LINKS to Navigate The GRID ..................................................................81
 Basic Sequence Editing...............................................................................................86
Overdubbing ................................................................................................................87
Understanding Sequence Resolution ..........................................................................89
Adding New Events Manually ......................................................................................93
Transposing Pad Events..............................................................................................94
Editing Velocity ............................................................................................................95

005 Quantising and Swing Essentials .................103

Applying Swing ..........................................................................................................107
Applying Swing With the Q-Links ..............................................................................109
Adding Live Feel to a Quantised Beat .......................................................................111
Moving Events When T.C. is Not ‘OFF’......................................................................112
Erasing Events ...........................................................................................................115
ERASE in Real Time ..................................................................................................118
Recording Hi Hats With Note Repeat ........................................................................118
Correcting Mistakes with UNDO ................................................................................120
Methods For Copying Events ....................................................................................121
Double Length ...........................................................................................................122
Copying Bars .............................................................................................................122
Inserting Blank Bars ..................................................................................................124
Copying Events In GRID EDIT ..................................................................................126
Copying Events Via MAIN .........................................................................................133
Splitting Events ..........................................................................................................135

006 Drum Layering ...........................................141

What is Drum Layering? ............................................................................................141
Utilising Sample Layers .............................................................................................143
Changing the Pitch of a Drum Layer .........................................................................149
Creating A ‘Dragging’ Clap Sound .............................................................................151
Creating Stereo Width ...............................................................................................153
Creating a Deeper, Crunchier Kick ............................................................................155
Shaping Your Sounds with the Amp Envelope ..........................................................157
Adding Vinyl Crackle with Simultaneous Play ...........................................................160
Varying The Vinyl Crackle with Round Robins ..........................................................164

007 Drum Kit Essentials ....................................169

Using Mute Groups For Open Hats ...........................................................................169
Adding Some Internal Effects ....................................................................................171
The Pad Mixer ...........................................................................................................186
Increasing 'Perceived Loudness With the Maximizer' ...............................................193
Setting Custom Pad Colours .....................................................................................195

008 Sampling 101 ..............................................201

Sampling Audio into the MPC ....................................................................................201
Sampling your Sound ................................................................................................206
Sample Edit Mode .....................................................................................................208
Waveform Editing ......................................................................................................209
 Edit Points ..................................................................................................................211
Adjusting the Start Point ............................................................................................213
Zooming In For Accuracy...........................................................................................218
Snap to Zero ..............................................................................................................220
Setting the START Point ............................................................................................221
Adjusting the End Point .............................................................................................222
The Discard Function ................................................................................................222
Normalizing................................................................................................................224
Renaming an Edited File ...........................................................................................226

009 Recording a Bass Line With 16 LEVELS ..........227

Setting Up The Bass Sample ....................................................................................227
Changing the Pitch of your Sample ...........................................................................232
Recording a Bass Line with 16 LEVELS ...................................................................236
Configuring Your Sequence .......................................................................................237
LIST EDIT Mode ........................................................................................................239
Inserting Events in LIST EDIT ...................................................................................242
Inserting Events With the INSERT Button .................................................................244
Inserting Events via OVERDUB ................................................................................247
Inserting 16 LEVEL Type Events ...............................................................................249
Moving Events In LIST EDIT .....................................................................................250
LIST EDIT vs GRID EDIT ..........................................................................................252

010 Creating Instrument Melodies & Chords ......253

MIDI Instruments .......................................................................................................253
Using Standalone Plugin Instruments .......................................................................254
Finding the Key of Our Beat ......................................................................................260
Recording The Rhodes Track ....................................................................................262
Chord Progressions ...................................................................................................265
Tweaking Your Preset ................................................................................................268
Saving Your Custom Patch ........................................................................................273
Adding a Synth Lead Line With TubeSynth ...............................................................274
Using the Arpeggiator To Generate Lead Patterns ....................................................279
Rhythmic Arpeggios...................................................................................................281
Arpeggiator Patterns..................................................................................................283

011 Introduction to Keygroup Programs ............285

Creating Keygroup Programs ....................................................................................285
Setting The Root Note ...............................................................................................292
Adding FX to Keygroup Programs .............................................................................295
Re-Shaping The Envelope To Create a 'Pulse'..........................................................301
Multi-Keygroup Instruments.......................................................................................303
Generating Random Notes ........................................................................................304

012 First Look: Audio Tracks ..............................309

Setting Up an Audio Track .........................................................................................309
Editing Audio Tracks ..................................................................................................314
 Splitting Audio Tracks ................................................................................................317
Moving Regions .........................................................................................................320

013 MPC Channel Mixer Fundamentals ..............323

MPC Mixing Options: An Overview............................................................................323
Track View Mode .......................................................................................................324
The CHANNEL MIXER ..............................................................................................326
The Program Mixer Channel .....................................................................................331
Grouping Sounds With Submixes..............................................................................335
Using The RETURNS ................................................................................................342
The MASTERS Channel............................................................................................344

014 Working with Loops ....................................347

How Do Loops Work? ................................................................................................347
Setting Loop Tempo ...................................................................................................353
Using Loops in a Sequence.......................................................................................357
Re-Tuning The Loop ..................................................................................................358
Time Stretching a Loop..............................................................................................360
Using Loops in a DRUM program..............................................................................361
Using the Timestretched Loop ...................................................................................366
Looping Instrument Samples .....................................................................................367
How to Find a Good Sustain Loop Region ................................................................368
Sustain Looping Workflow .........................................................................................370
Sustain Looping Acoustic Samples ...........................................................................375

015 Chopping Drum Breaks Part 1 .....................378

Basic Chopping Using the Extract Function ..............................................................378
Using the Dedicated CHOP Mode .............................................................................381
Identifying ‘Problem’ Regions ...................................................................................384
Fixing the Regions - Speed Chopping Workflow .......................................................387
Shared Edit Points .....................................................................................................391
Exporting Your Regions .............................................................................................393

016 Chopping Drums Part 2 ...............................399

Chopping Down to Individual Hits..............................................................................399
Fixing Clicks & Pops ..................................................................................................405
Exporting Individual Hits ............................................................................................407
Real time Tempo Changes ........................................................................................408
Editing Existing Chop Events ....................................................................................409
Overdubbing Additional Chops ..................................................................................411
Applying a Quantize Template ...................................................................................412
Adding Tail To Your Chops .........................................................................................414
Dealing With Clicks....................................................................................................417

017 Building Velocity Sensitive Kits & Sequences 418

Timbre Variation Using Multiple Drum Sounds ..........................................................419
 Using Multisampled Drums........................................................................................419
Velocity Switching Pad Layers...................................................................................420
Setting Up the Velocity Switch Ranges .....................................................................423
Performing Velocity Switches ....................................................................................425
Layer Switching – Creating ‘Cycle Kits’ .....................................................................426
Adding Sample Tail ....................................................................................................428
Muting the Open Hat with Mute Targets ....................................................................429
Velocity Sensitive Timbre Emulations ........................................................................431
Random Variation ......................................................................................................433
Utilizing The LFO .......................................................................................................435
Extending the Open Hats ..........................................................................................437
Open Hat Muting with 'NOTE OFF' ...........................................................................441
Using ‘Humanize’ on Drum Performances.................................................................444
Drum Kit MIDI Note Mapping.....................................................................................448
Custom Note Mapping ...............................................................................................449
GM Mapping ..............................................................................................................452

018 Dynamic Tempo Manipulation ....................455

Problems When Changing Sequence Tempo ............................................................455
Warping Audio ...........................................................................................................455
Warping in DRUM Programs .....................................................................................459
Patched Phrase Loops ..............................................................................................461
Tuning (Pitch Shifting) a Patched Phrase ..................................................................464
Warping in CLIP Programs ........................................................................................465
Auditioning Looped Samples .....................................................................................472

019 Non Destructive Chopping Techniques ........476

Introduction to Non Destructive Chopping .................................................................476
Building a Non-Destructive Kit with 'Assign Slice to Pad' ..........................................477
Assigning the Snare & Hat ........................................................................................478
Understanding Non Destructive Chop Slices ............................................................478
PROGRAM Chop Mode ............................................................................................482
NDC Over Multiple Layers .........................................................................................483
Editing Layers ............................................................................................................485
Alternative Slice Workflow .........................................................................................486
Chopping Using Pad Parameters ..............................................................................489
Experimenting With Your Initial Chops ......................................................................491
Tightening Your Chops ..............................................................................................493
Adding TAIL ...............................................................................................................496
Finishing Up...............................................................................................................497

020 Progressive Drum Layering Techniques .......498

‘Sculpting’ Together Sample Elements ......................................................................498
Layering With Pad Parameters..................................................................................503
Applying Filters to Individual Layers ..........................................................................505
Converting Your Layers Into Standalone/Portable Samples....................................508
Flatten Pad ................................................................................................................508
'Resampling' Your Pad...............................................................................................510
021 Sound Design & Production Tricks ...............513
Emulating Vintage Sampler ‘Crunch’ .........................................................................513
Increasing Grit While Sampling From Vinyl ...............................................................519
Using Sample Tune to add grit ..................................................................................520
Emulating Scratching With ‘Reverse’ ........................................................................522
Experimenting With LFOs..........................................................................................525
Emulating Vinyl Crackle .............................................................................................530
Wacky Bass ...............................................................................................................531
Bit Crushed Drums ....................................................................................................532
Effects to ‘Dirty Up’ Your Drums ................................................................................532
Using Effect Presets ..................................................................................................535
Loading 3rd Party Effect Presets ...............................................................................537
Vintage Effects...........................................................................................................540
Transient Shapers .....................................................................................................541
Compression .............................................................................................................542
Using EQ in Sound Design ........................................................................................545
Creating a More 'Open' Sounding Snare ...................................................................547
Creating a Tight & Crunchy Snare From a 'Live' Snare .............................................550
Creating FX Racks ....................................................................................................554
Side Chain Compression: Using the Mother Ducker .................................................556
Standard Compression vs Sidechain Compression ..................................................557
Setting Up the Mother Ducker ...................................................................................557
Tweaking The Mother Ducker ....................................................................................560

022 Advanced Keygroup Building ......................565

Using Multisamples in a Keygroup program ..............................................................565
Sourcing & Configuring Your Samples ......................................................................565
Setting Up The Keygroups ........................................................................................568
Applying ADSR ..........................................................................................................577
Alternative Note Range Configuration .......................................................................578
Dealing With Root Notes ...........................................................................................579
‘Pseudo’ Stereo .........................................................................................................581
Emulating an Electric Piano.......................................................................................582

023 Build A Standalone MPC Synth .....................586

Subtractive Synthesis Overview ................................................................................586
The MPC Keygroup Program - Our Synth ‘Interface’ ................................................588
Setting Up The Oscillator ...........................................................................................591
Beefing Up The Oscillator ..........................................................................................592
Monitoring & Adjusting Levels with the Channel Strip ...............................................594
Creating a Bass Tone ................................................................................................597
Applying The Filter .....................................................................................................599
The Amplitude Envelope............................................................................................600
The LFO ....................................................................................................................601
Velocity Sensitive Parameters ...................................................................................603
Adding Portamento ....................................................................................................607
Adding Pitch Bend & Modulation Wheel Control .......................................................609
 Building a Pad Instrument ..........................................................................................611
Synthesising a Kick Drum..........................................................................................615

024 Using Plugins in Controller Mode ................621

Using Third Party Plugins In ‘Controller Mode’ ..........................................................621
Working in Controller Mode .......................................................................................624
The Hybrid 3 Plugin GUI Interface.............................................................................630
Recording a Plugin Instrument ..................................................................................631
Bouncing Plugin Tracks To Audio ..............................................................................633
Bouncing External Hardware Synths & iPad Synths .................................................635
Disadvantages of Working with Bounced Tracks ......................................................639

025 Convert Plugins & Synths with Autosampler .640

Example Autosampling Workflow ..............................................................................640
Tweaking Your Autosampled Programs .....................................................................655
Adding a Velocity Sensitive Filter ..............................................................................659
Saving Your Program.................................................................................................661
Sustain Looping Your Samples?...............................................................................662
Example 2: Multi-Velocity, ’One Shot’ Style Patch .....................................................663
Configure The Patch ..................................................................................................664
Configure Recording Settings....................................................................................665
Configure The Program .............................................................................................668

026 Building Songs & Performances ..................672

Working on the Basic Song Structure ........................................................................672
Experimenting With Track Mutes ...............................................................................673
Creating The Structure ..............................................................................................676
Live Sweeps With XYFX Automation.........................................................................686
Recording Automation ...............................................................................................690
Fixing & Re-Recording XYFX Data ...........................................................................691
Managing Automation Events in LIST EDIT ..............................................................693
Managing Automation Data in GRID EDIT ................................................................695
Creating the ‘Ending’ .................................................................................................698
Sequence Experimentation .......................................................................................699
Next Sequence ..........................................................................................................700
Song Mode ................................................................................................................702

027 Adding Vocals & Exporting Your Beats ..........707

Limitations of Song Mode ..........................................................................................707
Converting Your Song into a Sequence.....................................................................707
Recording a Vocal Over Your Song ...........................................................................708
Performing a Rough Mix of Your Song ......................................................................717
Recording Automation With the Q-Links....................................................................719
Editing & Re-Recording Automation ..........................................................................724
Adding Automation To Audio Tracks ..........................................................................725
Adding Some Scratching ...........................................................................................729
Using The Software COPY & PASTE Buttons ...........................................................741
 Using the Marquee Tool .............................................................................................742
Adding a 'Tape Stop' Effect ........................................................................................746
Exporting Your Work ..................................................................................................748
Exporting Track Stems ..............................................................................................750
Ableton Live Set Export .............................................................................................751
Fading Out a Song? ..................................................................................................752

028 Final Words.................................................754

Appendix A: Setting Up Your MPC ........................755

Update Your Firmware ...............................................................................................755
Installing The Optional Synth Content .......................................................................758
Which Cables Should I Use? .....................................................................................759
MPC Outgoing Audio Connections ............................................................................762
Incoming Audio Connections .....................................................................................764
MIDI Connections ......................................................................................................770
Connecting Multiple MIDI Controllers ........................................................................771
Multitrack MIDI Recording .........................................................................................776
Triggering Synths......................................................................................................777
Audio Connections For External Synths ....................................................................780
Using an iPad as a Synth ..........................................................................................782
Sending MIDI From One Track to Another ................................................................787

Appendix B: MPC File Transfers .........................790

File Transfer Restrictions (Internal Drive) ..................................................................790
What is an ‘Attached Disk?........................................................................................790
File Transfer Methods ................................................................................................791
Transferring the 'Tutorial Files' Folder .......................................................................794
Transferring Kits, Instruments and Legacy Sample Packs ........................................795
Accessing Projects Saved to the Internal Drive.........................................................795
How Do I Continue Working on a ‘Standalone’ Project in Controller Mode? .............795
How Do I Backup My MPC Projects and Files? ........................................................796

Appendix C: MPC Expansion Guide ....................797

What Is an Expansion Pack?.....................................................................................797
Creating Your Own Sample Expansion Packs...........................................................797
Installing an Expansion Pack From an XPN File .......................................................802
The Hardware 'Expansion' Browser ..........................................................................804
Installing Expansions in Standalone Mode ................................................................804
Creating Program Previews.......................................................................................806
Using Name Separators (MPC Software)..................................................................808
Using Tags in the Media Browser ..............................................................................810
Demo Sequences ......................................................................................................814
Uninstalling/Removing Expansions ...........................................................................816

Appendix D: Creating Custom Progressions .......818

Appendix E: Essential MPC Resources ................821

Appendix F: Book Release History ......................822